Reds looking to regain focus

Queensland is mindful it will need to produce an 80-minute effort if it is to beat the Brumbies in its Super Rugby opener, following an indifferent performance in its final trial match.

The Reds went down 20-8 to the Chiefs at Kawana on the Sunshine Coast on Friday night, having been kept scoreless in the second half after leading 8-0 at the break.

In defence of the Reds they made sure to use their entire 28-man matchday squad across the two halves, with their starting XV against the Brumbies in Canberra next Saturday likely to resemble that which began against the Chiefs.

They will also welcome back Quade Cooper, who missed the match because of his much-publicised boxing bout, as well as regular captain James Horwill and centre Anthony Faingaa, who both missed the encounter through injury.

But stand-in captain James Slipper was concerned the Reds lost their focus as the match wore on against the Chiefs, illustrated by the two late tries they conceded to the Super Rugby champions.

"We went out there to win," he told Grandstand.

"In the first half we felt like we were on top. We were being patient in our own 'A' zone and coming away with points when we needed to.

"But as the game progressed we lost our way and we became a bit lethargic and we're going to have to fix that going into next week."

The Reds impressed with their composure in defence in the first half, having repelled a series of entries the Chiefs made into the hosts' 22.

Aggressive tackling and pressure at the breakdown kept the Reds' goal line intact, with Slipper among those to shine defensively.

Slipper says the Reds were guilty of laziness on the defensive side of the ball in the second term and the need to maintain their structure will be stressed in the lead-up to the Brumbies clash.

"We were very confident backing our defence," he said.

"I think the main objective tonight in the defence was to cut legs, chop low and obviously get the ball back, so in the first half we did that and in the second half we slipped off a few tackles and started to go a bit high."

Breakdown battle

The Reds' low tackling was a feature of their championship-winning season in 2011 and it complements how they employ their back row at the breakdown.

Taking the ball carrier to ground allows boom openside flanker Liam Gill to use his outstanding fetching skills, the 20-year-old having led the Super Rugby competition last year with the highest number of pilfers.

Number eight Jake Schatz can play hard on the ball, as he showed to great effect when the Reds beat the Highlanders 19-13 in round 17 last season, while blindside flanker Eddie Quirk has also started in the number seven jersey.

The trio is expected to be the starting back row against the Brumbies and the breakdown will be a key battleground in light of the fact David Pocock will be making his Super Rugby debut for the Canberra-based franchise.

Slipper has noted the match-up between Gill and Pocock could go a long way to determining who will win, but he realises that his team-mate will need support.

"It's going to be a battle for Gilly and Pocock next week," he said.

"It's going to be a star-studded match-up. Obviously we're going to have to get in Pocock's face and make sure we do out best to keep him out of the ruck."

The trip to Canberra will give Quirk the opportunity to cement a position in the back row, with Radike Samo sidelined with a minor knee injury.

If Samo does return to the starting XV during the season it could see Schatz moved to blindside flanker, considering his excellent form last year.